"Song for you" and the love of homeland

Of the 29 short stories, more than half are stories about the homeland, nature and familiar things of the people of the West. That is the story of catching fish during the flood season of an old man in the garden or of a group of professional fishermen in the stories "Following the stream of linh fish", "Welcoming fish"; the memories and unforgettable impressions of "The river and the flood season" of the children who grew up in the river area; the love of a mother who works day and night with a crab noodle soup stall in her hometown to raise her children to grow up and become successful. Or stories about spring and flowers, grass and trees that make readers linger with the scent of laurel, the color and fragrance of flowers or the scent of hometown bushes, along with gentle, lingering love stories. Among them, apricot is a flower symbolizing the spring of the South, so it is somewhat special. The stories "The Hundred-Year-Old Apricot Tree" and "The Old Apricot Tree Goes to the Tet Market" leave many echoes in the hearts of readers because of the love of the apricot growers as well as the spiritual meaning that the apricot tree brings to them.

In particular, the author devoted much love and effort to depicting the famous lands of Can Tho . Such as Phong Dien district with its healthy trees and sweet fruits and the efforts of farmers in successfully making Ha Chau mulberry trees bear fruit out of season in the story "Silent mulberry scent"; the pride of the Red Flag land, where the first Party cell of Can Tho was established in 1930 and the heroic feats of the army and people in the process of fighting to protect the country in the stories: "Red flag", "Sacred land" ...

The love for the land is passionate, the love for people is even warmer, the honest, sincere, generous people of the West are portrayed through the characters: the old farmer, the hard-working mother, the skillful and talented village girl, the principal who is devoted to the causeof education , or the intellectuals who grew up in the countryside and are contributing to building the homeland to become more and more beautiful...

Just like that, Nhat Hong's love for his homeland flows like rivers through his writings, like grains of alluvium that enrich the literary land. Dotted on it are the colors of life and human affairs. Readers are captivated by the thrilling story of a family participating in the resistance war in the story "Bullet wound on the unicorn's back", regret for a broken theater troupe in "Uuân âm đàn", surprised by the fate and life of the characters in the stories "Old man flower", "The garbage collector", "The price of life", "The snake revenge"... But whether the ending is happy or not, the characters after experiencing the storms all try to live well, do useful work for the community...

The book ends with the story "Song for You", which tells about the love and efforts to overcome difficulties and rise up of a young couple in their journey to make a living and build happiness. Through that, the story spreads optimism and meaningful messages about life.

Article and photos: CAT DANG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/khuc-hat-cho-em-va-nhung-an-tinh-que-huong-a186152.html